Process of making slippers



April 7, 1931. w. HUBBARD 1,800,022

PROCESS OF MAKING SLIPPERS Original Fioled May 28, 1928 INVENTOR ATTORNEY! Patented Apr. 7, 1931 UNITED STATES WILLIAM .HUBBARIL F DOLGEVILLE, NEW YORK PROCESS OF MAKING SLIPPERS i Original appication filed May 28, 1928, Serial No. 281,163. Divided and this application led May 7,

1929.1 serial My present invention relates to the process of making soft-soled slippers having a rigid or solid heel.

The subjectmatter of this application is a division of my application filed May 28, 1928,

as Serial No. 281,163.

The main purpose of this invention is to provide a new process of making soft-soled slippers or slippers for indoor Wear prow vided with rigid or solid heels andto provide features of constructing the parts of such slipper and heel that Will render them well adapted for the use intended and allow the heel to be securely fastened in place and at the same time have the heel neat in appearance and durable in use.` i

A further` purpose is to provide a process of forming such a slipper which includes the steps ofproviding a rigid heel especially 2o adapted,v constructed and shaped to fit the soft-.soled slipper and to hold the heel portion of the slipper permanently in proper position and to reinforce and strengthen the counter of the slipper if one be used.

5 Further purposes of this invention are to point out processes for the economical and efficient making of such a` soft-soled slipper y having a rigid heel and to show the process of applying such a heel to a soft-soled slipper. In the manufacture of hard-soled shoes and slippers the hard sole extends through for its full thickness or even at increased thickness to the rear of the `heel and provides the base or foundation layer for the heel of suicient thickness and stiffness to have built thereupon the successive intermediate layers of heel blanks of leather or substitutes therefor by nailing said layers to the heel portion of the hard sole by nails pointed into and through the sole from outside the slipper. To this partly formed heel the lower lift of leather is secured by nails passing upward into the other layers of the heel. The projecting edges of the heel por-` v tion of the sole and of the heel blanks and in some cases the edge of the lower lift are all together trimmed down to the proper size and shape for the completed heel.`

Heretofore there hasnot been .produced a softsoled slipper having a rigid heel for the reason that the absence of a stiff rigid heel portion on the sole has prevented the making of stiff or rigid heels. It has been long recognized that soft-soled slippers are comfortable for the frontof the foot but are uncomfortable for the back of the foot in that even in a rest slipper the heel of the foot needs a stiff heel of appreciable height. I have overcome the above mentioned disadvantages of soft-soled slippers by forming a slipperl Which is soft-soled but has a rigid heel of appreciable height and one which furthermore is strong enough and properly shaped to support a counter which is necessary to give further comfortand reinforcement to the heel of the foot even in a softsoled slipper.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a soft--soled slipper having a counter` and embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a slipper Without a counter but embodying this invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view on a larger scale of a completely formed and `finished slipper heel used in the process embodying my invention. y

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on line Llf--f of Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 `is a similar longitudinal sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig.

Fig. 6 is a` cross Vsectional view similar to Fig. et after the-leather cup lift 12, the two or more layers of leather board lf-l and '1l and the leather top lift l5 have been fastened together by the upper and lower metal slugs4 1G and 17 reslicctively but before the heel has been compressed into ultimate form and before its edges have been trimmed or its edges and surfaces finished.

Fig. 7 al vertical sectional view on line 77 of the slipper shown in Fig.` 1.

Fig. 8 is a vertical cross sectional view through a compression mechanism adapted to con'ipress a heel with a heel therein in the shape the parts have before the compression step takes place.

Fig. 9 is a vertical cross sectional view on line 9--9 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in a more particular description, Figs. l and 2 show indoor slippers having soft soles 18 served about the sides and toe to the upper 19 of the conimon construction of soft soled or indoor slippers. Each of these slippers is provided with a relatively stiffV shank 20 extending rearwardly through the instep portion of the slipper substantially to the rear end 'of the heel portion of the slipper but with .the soft sole terminating slightly back of the 4front edge 21 of the pre-'formed.hfeelY The form of slipper s vided witha counter 23 and ancfutside quarter 24 and an inside vopuaiter 25. ln the form of 'slipper 'sho-wn in `vFig. 2 my 'pre-foriii'ed heel is combined with a soft-soled slipper hav- .ing-nocounter andno insideor outside quarter.

` lie pre-'formed-or lcompletely fform'ed and finished heel22 shown separately in Fis 3 includes a'cupliftlQ, two or more layers-of leather boards/13 v'and 14`and a leather top Vlift 15. A The'orig-inal shapesize and arrangement ofthese partswhen rst `assembled is clearly shown in the transverse vertical sectional view thereof Fig. 6. It will be seen that the cup liftflQ. and the tfopvlift 15 Vand the lower lift or lifts 111 of leather boards or the like are all fiat, that is, having. substantiallyparallel faces. The one or more upper layers 13of leather hoard, however, are as sliown-inxliig. @plano-concave', that is level towards the cup lift and concavel atgthe surface towards the lower layers lil-'of lea-ther board, leaving a lens-like space Q6 betweenV said two sections 13 and 14 of leather hoard,

Vwith tlietwo sections of leather boardin'con- -tact with leach other-about the/horseshoe shaped outline of the heel; that is at the opposite sides 27 aindmZS-and the backside,

- but Iivitli said two sections of leather board spaced apart along the front edgel as shown in the sectional vicwylig.' G. the cupilift 12 the intermediate lifts 13 and lil and the leather toplift 15 in this position the said four parts are fastened or nailed together by the upper land ylower metal slugs 1G and 17 respectivelyplat-@dat inten Y vals about the said horseshoe shaped part ofthe heel where the intermediate layerslfi and 14 are in contact or nearly in contact. f It will 4he seen that the upper slugs lli'coine properly shaped ring and upper and 'lower dies or shaping members l() and 41 as shown in Fig. 8 Ywhich 'are forced together with lgreat pressure sothat the intermediate layer 13 iis compressed closely `down .against the opposing level surface of the other intermediliown in Fig. 1 is pro-k rpart 32 ,iii-st moregradually towards the fia-t or slightly 'about ylith ate lift 14, leaving a concave surface on this lift 13 onits face toward the cup lift and the cup lift is bodily curved clown with the parts assuming the position shown in ljigs. l and 5.

It will be understood that after this coinpression step the parts will reiiiaiiipermanently in the position indicated in iT d`igs. 4, 5 and 3 and particularly that there will be a heel seat '30 about' the said curved or horseshoe shaped outlineof the heel following the lateral sides A277 land 28 and the rear side and that this heel seat will consist of a substantially level narrow surface 31 adjacent the said Jouter edges 'of the heel with an inward sloping sloping down sharply and kthen concave main cent-ral portion 33 oftl'i'is whole Vface of the heel. Preferably about tli'ef'orward third of this face of the heel'is'cle'pressed slightly 'below the remaining part as indicated by the slight shoulder 35 ,in Figs. 3 and 5.

The heel so permanently compressed and with its parts securely fastened together by the said metal slugs is then successively put through the different vfinishing steps which in detail will ordinarily be as follows: First, the heels will be sanded with course paper which step takes the place of-th'e trimming done upon a heel built up upon a shoe. Then Ytheheel is sanded with in'ediu'm'gritv and then with hne gri-t; then the heel is inke'dfas black or brown and'thenburnislied/on all sides and )usuillylthe level surface 31 of the `heel seat vis treatedy with abeaded wheeland the outer edge of the heel if desired is ornameiited by a wheel.V The heel is nowall formed, shaped and completely Yfinished and ready to be attached to a.softsoled slipper 'asjafinished heel by nailing from thefinside o'f theslipper. It will be understood that suchcompletely iornied andli'iiished heels are really 4separate units Vand may vand ordinarilywill be made in 'one factory *andV sold as 'separate articles to be :affliXed to a soft-soled slipper iii-another factory. v Y

' VThe construction of a soft-soled slipper by the use of the sai'dpre-formed and neatl finished heel 22 will now bedescribech'and vfirst in lconnection witha slipper Vsuch as shownv in AFig. 1 having a counter Q Swiththe outside quarter Q4 and inside 'quarter 25. The Aforward `part of this slipper will be madein the usual way of afsoft-'sole/d"slipper by Sewing the UPPei'lQ'to lthe soft sole l18 as c' far back as the soft sole-eXte'nds,' namely'to Va point a little'to the rear ofthe vfront face 21o-f. the heel.: The slipper -is Vprovided with 'llO a shank 2O which .prefer'ablyr extends fsiibstantially tothe rear end of the slipper. `The .lower edge ofthe 'counter 23 and likewise Iof the outsidequarter Ql'are' turned in'below' the .A shank viewingthe slipper as ultimatelyfused ybut above the shank 'as'the slipper at `'this stage is turned Vover in "thefh'ands lof the tacks 36 which ordinarily will extend up into the layer of liber called fiber tuck 37 usually placed below the inner or sock lining 38. The inturned edge of the inside quarter 25 will usually be placed between the shank and the said fiber tuck. At the central portion ofthe heel there will be the necessary amount of hair felt iiller 39 to round out or level the Y bottom of the heel portion of the slipper between the inturned edges of the counter and outer quarter.

The slipper made substantially as described except that the sock lining 38 is not yet in place, is now ready to have fastened thereto the pre-formed heel 22. This is done by iittin g the heel portion of the slipper into the concave face with the heel seat accurately fitting the slipper below the bend of the counter and fastening the slipper to the heel by nails or screw-like nails 4:2 passing downwardly through the fiber tuck 37 if that be used and through the shank 20 and well down into the finished heel but not therethrough. The sock lining 38 is then placed in the Y slipper covering the heads of the main nails slipper' comfortable.

that the slightly cup-shaped upper surface 42 and the slipper is then completely finished.

It will be noted particularly that the preformed and completely finished heel 22 is rigid and of sufiicient height to make the It will be seen also of the heel together with the sharply raised heel seat around its outer edges is rigidly shaped to hold the portion of the slipper thereabove in the desired slightly curved or recessed form which will render the slipper comfortable and maintain the inner surface of the slipper permanently in that form. The curved face 32 of the heel seat supports the counter at the bend of the counter and 5 so helps to hold the counter inwardly against the heel of the foot in snugly engaging position as has been done heretofore only with hard-soled shoes and withheels shaped and built up piece by piece upon the shoe.

The relatively stiff shank 2() extends from just forward of the instep to the rearward portion of the pre-formed heel forms the main basis for the rigid securing of the heel to the slipper and also bridges over the instep portion of the slipper from the front of the heel so as to support the instep and make the slipper more comfortable.

Where a slipper is formed asin Fig. 2

with one of my pre-formed heels but withheel and is fastened to the `heel by the main nails 42 driven from within the slipper down into the finished heel as already described.

`A heel pad 44 is placed over the heel part of the shank and the insole or sock lining 43 is then placed in position` over said pad and its edges securely glued or cemented in position with its lowerface adjacent its outer edge fitting flat upon the level face 3l of the heel seat. For slippers of this type the face 3l will be formed a little wider than used in the slipper of Fig. l in order to he sure that a secure and neat joint is elected betweenthe lining and the heel.

lVhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The process of making a slipper which consists in completely forming and finishing a rigid heel as a separate unit witlra leather lift towards the slipper' and with said a heel on its face towards the slipper provided with fraised hm seat about its lateral and rear edges to support the bend of the counter and in forming the body ofthe slinner with an unoer, a soft sole secured thereto and terminating near the breast of the heel, a shank fwtfmding past the rear end of the sole to substantially the rear of the heel, a counter and an inner and an outer quarter,

securing said quarters, shank and counter i together as a separate unit, and then attaching said body unit and said heel unit together.

2. The process of making a slipper which consists in completely forming and finishing a rigid heel as a separate unit with a leather lift towards the slipper and with said heel on its face towards the slipper provided with a raised heel seat about its lateral and rear edges to support the bend of the counter and in forming the body of the slipper with an upper, a soft sole secured thereto and terminating near the breast of the heel, a shank extending past the rear end of the sole to substantially the rear of the heel, a counter and an inner and an outer quarter, securing said quarters, shank and counter' together :is a separate unit, and then attaching said body unit and said heel unit together hv means extending through said shank and counter into the heel.

3. The process of making a slipper which consists in completely forming and finishing a rigid heel as :i separat-e unit with a stili form-retaining layer towards the slipper and with said heel on its face towards the slipper provided with a raised heel seat about its lateral and rear edges to support the bend of the counter and in forming the body of the slipper with an upper, a soft sole secured thereto and terminating near the breast of the heel, a eli-ank extending oast the rear end of the sole to substantially the rear of the heel, a counter and an inner and an outer quarter, securing said upper soft sole, quarters, shank and counter together as a sepalllzi A- 1,soop22 rate yunit, and then attachingvsaid bodv Vunit Y and sed-heellunittogether. Ae The process ofmakng asvlpper Whh consists in eoinpletelyformng and finishingV Y 5 a. rigid heel as .a separate unit with a stiff formfretanng layer towards vthe slipper and with lsaid heel/on its face towards the sliDper rovided with a raised heel Seat about its .laterale-nd rear edges to support the bend l0 ofthe-counter andrin forming' the body of the yslipper with .enjuppen arsoft sole secured thereto and terminating near the breast of .the heel, a shank extending past the rear end of the sole to substantially the rear .of the l5 heel, .e counter and Ven inner and an outer quarter, securing said upper. soft sole, quarters, shank `and counter together as a separateuni't,A and then attachingv said body unit Ynd said I.heel unit together .bvv means eXtend- 2U 'lnglthrough .said shank .and counterinto the ee Y .In Witness whereof I have afxed my sig- 'natnreths tiret vday of May, 1929.

YVILLIAM HUBBARD 

